COMPUTER EXPERT KERRY PRICE SENTENCED FOR LONG HISTORY OF CHILD SEX OFFENCES
A computer expert who repeatedly sexually abused a young girl and secretly took intimate photos of her - including a so-called "upskirting" picture - has been handed an extended sentence as a dangerous offender.A judge told Kerry Price - who ran computer repair shops in Ystradgynlais, Bridgend, and Dunvant in Swansea before working for Swansea University as an IT technician - that the way he treated his young victim had been "utterly depraved." The judge emphasized that Price showed "not a scintilla" of remorse and that his actions were motivated entirely by self-interest, with the victim describing him as a "child predator." The defendant, aged 54, had previously been convicted of 15 sexual offences following a Swansea Crown Court trial.
He began abusing the victim when she was around five or six years old, with abuse continuing into her teenage years.
The sexual contact included Price playing a "coin flip" game where he kissed the child depending on a coin toss, then progressing to touching her genitals and breasts, both under and over her clothing, on multiple occasions, including forcing her to touch his penis.
The offences occurred in Swansea.
The abuse was reported after the girl told her grandmother.
Price was arrested in August 2023, and his phone was seized.
Police found 25 indecent images of children on his device, including five Category A images showing young girls being raped, as well as searches for phrases like "naughty schoolgirl nude." Dozens of images of the victim, taken without her knowledge or consent, were also recovered, including some from "upskirting." During trial, he denied the offences, claiming his phone's indecent images had transferred automatically from an old computer after repair work.
He insisted he had no sexual interest in children and that the victim had consented to having her pictures taken.
Nonetheless, he was convicted of multiple offences, including sexual assault of a child, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, making and possessing indecent images, voyeurism, and recording images under clothing.
He was given a 14-year extended sentence comprising nine years in custody followed by a five-year license, with the requirement to serve two-thirds before parole eligibility.
He was also subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.
The judge described him as having a "deep-seated paedophilia" and stated that his treatment of the girl was "utterly depraved," adding that he had shown no remorse and was motivated solely by self-interest, with a "deep well of self pity." The defence argued Price had no previous convictions and good employment history but acknowledged that he could no longer work at the university.
The judge referred to his behavior as indicative of a long-standing issue and noted that Price had a history of a caution for assault and criminal damage in 2006.
The court emphasized that Price's career as an IT technician and his denial of any sexual interest in children did not mitigate his actions, which were severely damaging to the victim and society.
